Ministers vow on 1st day Price control in Ramadan first priority
Staff Reporter :
The country’s newly appointed Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman on Wednesday declared that integrity is inseparable from the very meaning of the word “judge,” warning that there is no place for corruption in the judiciary.
Speaking at a meeting with officials on his first working day at the Secretariat following his oath-taking on Tuesday, the law minister said that anyone found involved in corruption would face not only departmental action but also criminal prosecution.
“If anyone thinks they can get away with corruption, they are mistaken,” he said. “We will not stop at administrative measures; corruption cases will be filed under criminal law.”
He emphasized that the term “judge” itself implies honesty. “There is no separate definition called an ‘honest judge.’ A judge must be honest.
I do not want to see a division between honest and dishonest judges,” he said.
Earlier in the day, senior officials, including the secretaries of the Law and Justice Division and the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, received him at the ministry.
Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said his top priority is to make the Health Ministry corruption-free. On his first day in office, he announced a crackdown on entrenched syndicates within the sector.
“All syndicates in the Health Ministry will be dismantled. No corruption will be tolerated, and no work will be done under pressure,” he said.
The minister also pledged to ensure punctual attendance of doctors within a month. “An office that starts at 9 a.m. cannot see doctors arriving at noon,” he said, adding that he would begin surprise inspections at hospitals within seven days and take necessary action against absenteeism.
He stressed the need to restore public confidence in the health sector by improving service quality, arguing that enhanced standards would reduce the tendency of patients to seek treatment abroad.
The government, he said, would fully utilize the existing infrastructure while also considering new frameworks to make healthcare more accessible, particularly in rural areas. State Minister M. A. Muhith joined him in exchanging greetings with ministry officials.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir outlined three key priorities for the newly elected government: keeping commodity prices stable during Ramadan, ensuring tolerable levels of electricity, fuel and gas supply, and maintaining law and order.
Responding to concerns about fragility in law enforcement and the economy, he said the situation was not as dire as portrayed. Macroeconomic stability, he claimed, was returning and the banking sector had come largely under control. With coordinated efforts, he added, further improvements were possible.
Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said the national curriculum would not be changed but reviewed. “There will be a review, not a change,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Secretariat on the government’s first working day. State Minister Bobby Hajjaj was present.
Recalling his earlier tenure in 2001, the education minister said measures taken at that time had curbed cheating and question paper leaks, expressing confidence that such irregularities would not recur.